Treatment of ores.



ARTHUR HOWARD HIGGINS, OF. LONDON,

SEPARATION LIMITED, OF

ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO MINELS LONDON, ENGLAND. e

TREATMENT or cans.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:- 7

Be itknown that I, ARTHUR HOWARD Hie- GINs, a subject of the King of England, residing at London, England, have invent-e certain new and useful Improvements in the Treatment of Ores, of which'the following is a specification.

Th1s invention is for 1mprovements in or.

relating to the treatment of ores.

A number of processes are known in which certain metalliferous constituents of an ore are recovered by methods involving surface tension action, or the selective action of oil, or the formation of a froth, and these processes will hereinafter be referred to as flota- Typical examples of the are described in the rior United States Patent. specifications Nos. 835120 granted November 6, 1906 and 962678 granted June28, 1910. I v

A number of solution or lixiviation processes are also knownfor the'extraction of metals from their ores by the use of chemical 1 the pulp or constituents.

agents which dissolve certain metalliferous ,T have discovered that in certain cases these two processes of froth flotation and extraction by solvents can be combined to produce advantageous results. Thus ac cording to this invention, an ore maybe agitatedwith an aqueous liquor which, on the one hand is suitable enhancing a selective separation of certain constituents by flotation and which, on the other hand, brings other constituents into solution. I I

In the flotation processes above referred to it is customary to add to the aqueous liquor a mineral-frothing, agent and also a chemical agent (typified by sulfuric acid) for facilitating the flotation of the metalliferous constituents. According to one embodiment of this invention there is added to water in which the agitation takes place, a chemical agent such as ferric chlorid which has the functions (a) of facilitating the flotation of certain metalliferous constituents or parts of the ore, and (b) of dissolving or partially dissolving certain other constituents to be precipitated or removed subsequently. For example, when the ore contains small quantities of copper carbonate this is dissolved and can afterward be precipitated.

In previous processes for concentrating for bringing about or .chlorid is produced in sita,

Serial No. 800,966.

ores by flotation, rled out 1n water containing various chemical agents, suchas alkaline or acid salts, etc.,

whereby solution of some of the constituents of the oresmay be eflected to some small extent.

addition of a chemical agent to the water is not primarily for the purpose of dissolving almost wholly certain constituents of the ore as is the case in the present process, but

Patented May 29, 1191?,

the flotation has been car- In all such processes however, the

is employed for, various other reasons among which are coating certain metal liferous particles to render themcapable of flotation freeing ores from incrustations and precipitating soluble salts present in the water, or these chemical agents are used in place of the acid generally flotation processes which involvetheuse of a Inineral-frothing agent. The present invention differs from all these known processes in that it comprises a process" for the separation of the metalliferous constituents of ores which combines method and extraction of solvents.

The invention will be more fully appreciated by indicating examples ofits application. Dealing with an orecontaining coper with or without other metals, 1. have found that by agitating the crushed ore with water containing a mineral-frothing agent (for example an oil) and containing also ferric chlorid, or a chlorid and ferric sulfate whereby ferric a certain proportion of the copper, particularly when the mineral is tarnished, is dissolved as copper chlorid, and at the same time a certain proportion of the metalliferous constituents of the ore can be recovered by flotation in the form of a froth. The chemical agent ememployed. in

the agitation froth mixture of sodium ployed may wholly orpartially replace the one metalliferous constituent from another. Thus the chemical agent employed may be such as to dissolve more or less completely one particular metal from the ore, While one or more other metals can be recovered by flotation, or the bulk of one metal may be recovered by solution, the bulk of another metal may be recovered by flotation, and the" bulk of another metal may be removed in the tailings.

Alternatively, where the orecontains sulflds or metal compounds other than oxidized compounds, the ore may be subjected to a preliminary roasting treatment for the purpose of partially or completely oxidizing certain metalliferous constituents, and thereafter the product may be subjected to the treatment herein above described. For ex ample, an ore containing sulfids and other compounds of copper, lead and zinc, may be roasted to render the copper content soluble in the chemical agent employed. Thereafter the product may be agitated with Water containing a mineral-frothing agent and containing also a chemical agent of the kind described for example ferric chlorid; the

copper will be dissolved moreor less completely, metalliferous constituents such as zinc sulfid can be recovered in the froth, and such products as sulfatized lead compounds will be removed with the tailings.

The chemical agents employed are solutions of salts, as for example ferric chlorid, a convenient strength of solution in the case of the examples given above, being that 1n which about 1% of the solid ferric chlorid is present.

- This invention is not limited to the employment of any particular method of precipitating or removing the metals from solution. Such method may involve the use of precipitates or the removal may be effected by electrolysis by heat, or any of the methods now in use for extracting a metal from its solution.

Among the advantages of this invention may be cited the following Where an ore contains both sulfids and oxids, practically complete metallic recovery may be effected, because the oxidized metals may in the main be dissolved, and the sulfids in the main floated.

Again, in an ore having tarnished surfaces the presence of the chemical agent may effect such a degree of solution as to leave the floatable constituents in good condition for flotation.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A process for the concentration of ores which consists in treating an ore pulp conjointly with a mineral frothing agent for the separation of metalliferous constituents by flotation and with a chemical agent that facilitates the separation of some metallifflotation and dissolves certain other com stituents.

4. A process for the concentration of ores which consists in agitating the ore with wa ter containing amineral-frothing agent and also a chemlcal agent that facilitates the separation of some metalliferous constituents by flotation and dissolves certain other constituents and thereafter precipitating the dissolved metal from solution in such amanner as to regenerate the chemical agent.

5. A process for the concentration of ores which consists in first roasting the ore and thereafter agitating it with Water containing a mineral frothing agent and also a chemical agent that facilitates the separation of some metalliferous constituents by flotation and dissolves certain other constituents and thereafter precipitating the dissolved metal in such a manner as to regenerate the chemical agent.

6. A process for the concentration of ores which consists in treating an ore pulp conjointly with a mineral frothing agent for the separation of metalliferous constituents by flotation and with ferric chlorid, where by certain constituents of the ore are floated and other constituents are dissolved.

7. A process for the concentration of ores which consists in agitating the ore with Water containing a mineral frothing agent and also with ferric chlorid, whereby certain constituents of the ore are floated and other constituents are dissolved.

8. A process for the concentration of ores which consists in first roasting the ore thereafter agitating it With Water containing a mineral frothing agent and also ferric chlorid, whereby certain constituents of the ore are floated and other constituents are dissolved.

9. A process for the concentration of ores which consists in treating an ore pulpconjointly with a mineral frothing agent for the separation of metalliferous constituents 10. A process for the which consists in whereby certain floated 'andother.

11. A process for the which consists in first concentration of ores agitating the ore with water containing a mineral frothing agent and.

also ferric chloriol produced. in reaction of ferric situ by the sulfate and sodium chlorid. constituents of the ore are constituents are dissolved. concentration of ores roastingthe ore andl thereafter agitating 1t with water containing a mineral frothing agent aria also ft'erric anemia V chlorid nroduceol in situ by the reaction of ferric sulfate and. sodium chloridl whereby 

